Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Cadillac's Career Potentially Over?

I read about this on PFT today. Word is that Carnell "Cadillac" Williams' career might be in jeopardy due to the injured patella tendon he suffered earlier in the 2007 season. If true, that would be a damn shame because Cadillac had a bright future ahead of him.

I mention this in part because of the high-profile controversy over which Auburn back was the better chioce in the 2005 draft, Ronnie Brown or Cadillac. Many of you will remember that Williams was the primary ballcarrier for the Tigers, yet Nick Saban selected Brown, who he felt was a better all-around back. The initial result was Cadillac breaking rookie records for running backs in his first month in the league, while Ronnie produced an average rookie campaign.

However, as time progressed I think Ronnie has proved himself to have the bigger upside as a football player. First off, Williams was coming into the league having already sustained a season ending leg injury while at Auburn. Though Carnell blew up early, he has been average from thereon in. Ronnie has improved every season and was leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage before also ending his season prematurely to injury.

The stats through 3 seasons:
Cadillac: 2184 yards and a 3.8ypc average, 10TDs. Also 53 receptions for 294 yards. 6 fumbles.
Brown: 2517 yards and a 4.4ypc average, 13TDs. 104 receptions for 897 yards and 2TDs. 7 fumbles.

The shame for the Dolphins was that Ronnie was averaging over 5 yards a carry (including the first two games where he only had 3ypc) and was heading towards MVP caliber numbers.

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